Etna ash cloud halts Catania Airport flights as ten planes divert across Sicily

Ash plume triggers red aviation alert

Mount Etna entered a new eruptive phase on the morning of Saturday, 26 September 2026, discharging an intense volume of volcanic ash from its North-East crater. The Catania branch of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) recorded the eruptive plume rising to an altitude of four kilometres. Upper-level winds carried the dense ash cloud southward directly over the metropolitan area of Catania and its commercial aviation corridor. INGV vulcanologists issued a red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA), representing the highest alert level on the four-grade aviation scale. Volcano monitoring networks tracked the progression of the ash column in real time using both visible-light and thermal infrared surveillance cameras. Following the alert, the Operational Coordination Unit (NCO) ordered the immediate closure of airspace sector C1.

Airport suspension and flight diversions

The airspace closure led airport operator Società Aeroporto Catania (SAC) to halt all incoming flights at Catania Vincenzo Bellini Airport until at least 16:00. Operational controllers initially throttled incoming traffic from the standard capacity of 12 landings per hour down to four per hour, before moving to a zero-landing and zero-takeoff restriction. The sudden restrictions forced airlines to redirect ten incoming morning flights across Sicily. Five flights were diverted to Palermo Falcone-Borsellino, three to Trapani, and two to Comiso. Scheduled departures were heavily impacted, with carriers cancelling flights to Istanbul, Pisa, Basel, and Milan Linate. Volotea transferred its Catania-Verona service to Comiso Airport, where the flight departed at 08:25.

Due to the emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, airspace corresponding to sector C1 has been closed.

Severe weather complicates cleanup efforts

Ground operations suffered further disruption from severe weather that hit eastern Sicily alongside the volcanic fallout. A violent rainstorm passed over Catania overnight, followed by a second period of intense downpours between 07:00 and 08:30 on Saturday morning. The combination of falling volcanic ash and heavy rainwater created a slurry across the tarmac, aircraft stands, and taxiways. This mixture made standard runway cleaning and sweeping procedures significantly more difficult for ground maintenance crews. SAC officials posted updates across official communication channels, instructing all travellers to consult their respective airlines regarding delays, cancellations, or reroutings before setting out for the airport.

Pattern of recurring Sicilian air travel limits

Saturday's closure adds to a sequence of volcanic disruptions that have affected Sicilian aviation throughout late summer. Fontanarossa Airport had already operated under arrival restrictions in preceding days, and experienced a temporary shutdown lasting several hours ten days prior. Eruptive activity in August had similarly triggered multi-day travel disruptions and widespread diversions across the island. The Etna Observatory of INGV confirmed that the red VONA notice had been in effect for several consecutive days due to ongoing summit activity. SAC and civil aviation authorities scheduled further operational evaluations for Saturday afternoon to determine whether flights could resume after 16:00, depending on volcanic emissions and wind patterns.